One Last Time
by Fangirl21
Summary: In the middle of Grant's 24th birthday party, Zach drags Macey out to tell her something. Will the shock be too much for her to handle? This is just an excerpt from the story I'll be posting soon, so it's a small one-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys. This is just an excerpt from my story that I'll be posting soon. I want to know what you guys think, so drop a review, please!**

"You're going on a mission?" asked Macey, her voice unimpressed. Had Zach really dragged her all the way out here just to tell her this? "Well, it's not like you go on one every week," Macey said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Zach frowned at her. "This is serious, Mace."

Macey glared at him. No one was allowed to call her Mace, yet Zach always insisted on doing so. He just rolled his eyes, and continued.

"This mission, it's an S-rank mission. I might not make it back, Mace. Quite frankly, the chances of me going MIA are a lot higher than me coming back," Zach said, and though his mask was up, Macey could see the faintest glimmer of anxiety in Zach's brilliant green eyes.

Macey herself felt her blood go cold when she heard this. An S-rank mission was serious, and they were hardly handed out to anyone who had worked at the CIA for less than ten years. The Director must think Zach was pretty good, if he was giving this mission to him. And the survivors. The ones who did make it back were hardly in good shape. Though the missions were completely classified, some agents came back screaming, raving like mad men...

"Mace...?" Zach asked cautiously. At this Macey looked up at Zach, her icy blue ones trying to pierce his emerald ones.

"Well," Macey said slowly. She had never been good with emotions. "What will happen if you don't come back? What about Cammie?"

Zach looked grim. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Cammie. I'm going to break up with her."

Macey inhaled sharply. "What? Why?! You can't break up with her-" but she was cut off by Zach when he raised his hand.

"I'm most likely not going to come back, Macey," he said quietly, using her full name for the first time. His green eyes searched hers, as he took a few steps closer. "I need to break up with her. She can't be hung up over me if I don't come back. As painful as it is, Cammie needs to move on with her life. Meet someone else. Marry him and have a family. I can't take that away from her," Zach said, his eyes suspiciously moist.

"Zach, no! You don't understand! It'll destroy her! She won't be able to live with it, Zach! Cammie won't be able to handle it if you go MIA. She can't lose you after she lost her father. She can't," Macey said fiercely.

"I'm sorry, Mace. There's no other way. She has no choice but to move on with her life when I'm gone. If I make it back, then I'll apologize and tell her why I did why I did. And that's the end of that," Zach said flatly, but Macey could see his mask was gone now. His face had harsh lines, which were wracked with pain.

"Okay," Macey whispered. There was nothing else to say. Zach was stubborn and when he wanted to do something, he'd do it. "So, you're really going then? I might never see you again after tonight?"

Zach looked at Macey. The girl seemed to be having some sort of internal battle, because her face was screwed up, and she looked like she was miserable. "I guess so," Zach said, his heart heavy.

He'd started to like Macey soon after he and Cammie started dating. She was like him, he'd realized. Both were seen as tough, independent agents, with members of the opposite sex flocking them wherever they went. But they both had their own problems, and they struggled to keep a happy face on every day. And though neither Macey nor Zach would admit it, a mutual bond had formed between them, one that would last a long time, if not forever.

"Oh," Macey said, willing herself to keep a calm face. She wanted to say so much more, but the words seemed to just get stuck in her throat.

Zach noticed this and tried to lighten up the mood. "Come on, McHenry. Let's go back in there and party one last time!" He made a vague gesture towards the house behind them where their friends had thrown a party for Grant's 24th birthday.

Macey seemed to ignore his words, and staring at Zach's face, a sadness seemed to overtake her. She looked away, the soft night wind blowing her hair in front of her face. She was glad, because as she thought about how this was the last time she'd most likely see Zachary Goode, Macey McHenry was struggling not to cry. She hadn't cried since the she had been at Gallagher.

Zach's face softened and her stepped closer, wrapping his arms around Macey. Macey leaned into him and buried her face in his chest. At this point she didn't care about keeping her facade up anymore. Sometimes even she had to let her walls down.

"I'll miss you," she whispered, and closed her eyes. Nevertheless, tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes, and soaked through Zach's shirt.

"I'll miss you too," Zach said, his voice sounding oddly constricted. His own eyes were shining a little, as he bent his head and buried his face in Macey's silky black hair. Both of them stood under the starry night, locked in their embrace, simply being there for each other.

**A/N: *cough _review_ cough***


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys!**

**I'm really sorry that this isn't a new chapter, but I just wanted to clear up a few things, and also ask your opinions on something. So some people have asked if this is a Macey/Zach story, and I just wanted to clear up that while they are quite close in this, they're just really close friends. Sort of like Harry and Hermione were, I suppose.**

**Also, I wanted to ask you guys if you think I should make one, very long chapter, with numerous one-shots put together, or do you think I should actually write separate chapters for each one? Just write what you think in the reviews, please. Thanks!**

**-Fangirl21**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: OH MY GOD, I AM SO SORRY. I know, I know. You probably thought this was a new chapter, and now it isn't. I personally also get really annoyed when authors publish an author's note rather than an actual chapter.**

**Anyways, it seems that overall people want to see separate chapters. The thing is, I already have most of the story written in small, one-shot form, and if I were to separate the one-shots into chapters, there wouldn't be much of a plotline. I mean, I could simply just add more and rework some details, but that would take me longer.**

**What do you think guys? I'll do whatever the majority wants to. If you want to see a sample of the one-shot writing I've done so far, you can just PM me. Again, I'm really sorry this isn't a new chapter! Sorry!**

**Love,**

**Fangirl21 3**


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